Greetings!
Happy spring everyone! Snow is melting. Robins are dancing around the yard. Spring arrived and spring bulbs are pushing through the soil and mulch. Find out which spring bulb you should have planted last fall for spring color below.
With spring begins the landscape projects and hiring a contractor. Pocketbooks may be leaner than we may like, and homeowners may be more tempted to save money by using unqualified labor.
My advice is, "Sometimes the cheapest isn't always the best." You think you are saving money by going with the outrageously low bid, but it may not work out that way. You don't save money in the long run, if you spend thousands of dollars later fixing, redoing, or completing the job. Do your homework so you can invest wisely. |
| Hiring a Contractor |
 Where to look for a contractor? As with any other service you are looking to hire out, ask for referrals from friends and neighbors.
Another great place is gardenminnesota.com. This website is run by the Minnesota Nursery Landscape Association (MNLA) and is a list of their members. Look for the members who are certified through this association and other professional organizations. These folks have demonstrated a level of knowledge and expertise and continue to be educated in their field.
What do you ask the contractor? Ask contractors about their experience, credentials, and education. How long has the business been around under that particular name? How long has he/she been in the industry? Where did they get their experience? Ask to see pictures of their work and for references.
Check if the business carries liability insurance and worker's comp. Accidents do happen and you want the contractor to cover any damages to your home. If you can, check to see if the contractor is paying his or her subcontractors and vendors. The last thing you want is a lien put on your home.
What should I consider when looking at the bid? First, know that you may not be comparing apples to apples when reviewing bids. Material and plant selection and quantities determine price, as well as what size plants are quoted. Look to see if there is anything missing from one bid to the next bid? For example, is one contractor not replacing the sod tore up from the skid loader?
Consider meeting with at least 3 contractors and soliciting three bids. If all the bids are in the same range you know you are on the right track. If one of the bids is really different compared to your other bids, I would ask more questions of that contractor. You may receive bids that hit all three ranges of low, middle and high, and there is nothing wrong with either of these bids.
The lowest bidder may have lower overhead costs or has perfected this particular craft and has lower labor costs. Going with the highest bid can have its advantages too. A reputable and stable business tends to have higher operating costs, and has experienced staff and labor. They will be around years to come to cover warranties or fix a problem if it arises.
Consider how environmentally friendly the contractor is. Do they recycle their plastic pots or promote sustainable landscapes? Contemplate their business practices? Did the contractor listen to you? How was their follow-up?
In the end, I advise clients to go with a contractor they feel comfortable doing business with; will you communicate easily with each other and do you trust him or her to do the work? Has your gut instinct or intuition ever really failed you?
Hiring a Lighting or Irrigation Specialist: Tips |
| What's Blooming? |
 Dwarf crested irises, Iris cristata, are wonderful native woodland wildflowers that bloom in early spring. The delicate flower is blue with a white-and-yellow marking. It flowers to 4 inches and the spiky leaves grow to 6 to 8 inches. The flowers don't last long, but the spiky foliage looks good all summer long. Hardy to zone 3, plant the rhizome in partial sun to shade. Dwarf crested iris works great as a mass groundcover in shade, woodland or rock gardens. Plant it under flowering shrubs or among the roots of tree roots. Extensive colonies can form over time. If clumps are blooming less, lift and pull apart the rhizomes and replant in late summer or early autumn. |
I welcome your feedback on the newsletter. If there are topics you want to learn more about, please email me at nancy.dahl@integra.net.
Sincerely,
Nancy Thorman Dahl, CLP
Cattail Design LLC
Creative Designs for Land and Lakeshore | |
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| Money-Saving Tip |
Be leery of catalogues that don't list hardiness zone information. |
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Catalogue and online shopping can be a great way to save money or purchase a more unique plant. Just be careful that you are buying plants that are hardy for our zones which range from zone 3 to zone 4. Folks in the very southern portion of Minnesota or have a microclimate in their garden can test with zone 5 plants.
Catalogues are mailed throughout the US and carry plants for various zones. I've found descriptions may lack plant hardiness information and scientific names. The description may say perennial, but it's a perennial in warmer zones, and won't survive our cold winters.
Watch out for plants that have many species hardy in many different zones. For example, you fall in love with a flowering dogwood picture. You know that dogwoods grow in Minnesota and think a flowering dogwood must too. Wrong. Flowering dogwood is hardy in zone 5 if the seedling is grown in zone 5.
Consider buying local when you catalogue or online shop. Plants are much hardier when they are grown or taken from a seed source in our area. For instance, a Minnesota strain of eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis, is hardier than a strain grown in a different zone. Plus you reduce the shipping distance and carbon footprint.
If you are uncertain about a plant's hardiness, do an online search of the scientific name for more information.
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